Obstacle course training.CARGO NET

The cargo net is the most techni
cal obstacle on the course and
it is where you can save the
most time on your run. To get a better
grasp on completing this obstacle
clean and free of blunders, we will
break the technique down into categories
of the approach, ascent,
transition and descent.

The technique literally
starts with the obstacle
prior, which is
usually the balance
beam. In approaching
the net you want your
key foot to attack it.
This would be the same
foot you use on the wall
so that you have that
same explosiveness.

Many people stutter
step when they approach
the cargo net as
to get their key foot in
play. I recommend you
becoming ambidextrous
on the balance beam
since it is not a key obstacle
so that you can
approach the net without
stutter stepping. Remember,
stutter stepping
depletes your
power and eats up your
seconds. If you are doing
the switch foot
dance before you approach
a key obstacle,
then to exchange your
starting foot, which in this case would
be on the balance beam.

To begin a successful ascent you
must leap onto the net rather than just
stepping onto it. The leap drives you
upwards so use that momentum to assist
with your speed and take the highest
steps possible according to your
leg length. The less steps taken, the
faster you will be. Any sprint coach
will tell you this because stride is such
an important factor to improve sprinting
speed. It takes twice as long to step
on each rung than to skip it to get to
the next one. That’s why you see the
Tonia D’anna, the Queen of Torque
taking the net at three rungs step and
did you notice Flash Gignilliat (Kelly
G’s) record breaking run in Vegas a
couple of years ago? We changed her
cargo net ascent to double steps rather
than her usual single pitter-patter of
the past. Don’t let the
visual fool you.

Longer steps appear
to be slower until you
put a stopwatch to
them!
Transition over
the cargo net should
be quick and clean
with NO hesitation.

There are appropriate
transitions to accompany
various rules of
organizations. A good guideline to use
is the following: Terminator race ~ 1.
Use the free fall head over heals flip, as
the legal rung to reach is closer to the
bottom of the net. 2. My aerial flip is a
(the most technical obstacle)
close second to this and extremely effective.
If one cannot perform the free
fall flip without any hesitation, then
the aerial is a faster choice.

Nova race
~ The aerial flip is the quickest way to
the bottom because my free fall flip is
not allowed. Once you perform the
aerial you can descend the net with
only two main upper body grabs without
using your feet. The Tri-Fitness
cargo net over the years has evolved to
where now you do not have to lower
yourself to a designated rung to be
able to drop off the net. You can just
flip and go! The best flip is the aerial
for this because there is no need
to free-fall, it would waste time
in this case.

If you did the head
over heals flip on the first run
without free falling, it will take
you longer than performing the
aerial because of the air-time and
prep time involved.

The best tip I can give for
descending the cargo net is, do
not hesitate to move once you
have made your transition over!
Take the opportunity immediately
to let go and get off. Also
take advantage of the race’s rules
on when you are allowed to drop
off. You’ll notice many people at
the Tri-Fit races that keep hanging
on the net once they have already
flipped. Instead of letting go,
they climb down a rung or two before
dropping and that is costing them a
few seconds, which is a very, very long
time on the obstacle course!

Of all the obstacles on the course,
the cargo net is where the most seconds
can be saved on your run with
proper execution. Feel free to email me
if you have any questions.
www.loriannlloyd.com
obstacle course training
By Lori Anne Lloyd
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